screw-loose
Definition
Adjective: * Not behaving normally; mentally unbalanced or eccentric. This term describes a person whose thoughts or actions seem irrational, illogical, or slightly crazy. It implies a fundamental flaw or instability in one's mental state, as if a vital component (a "screw") in their mind is loose.
Usage
This is an informal, often humorous or derogatory adjective used to characterize someone as strange or insane. It is typically used attributively (before a noun) or predicatively (after a linking verb like "is" or "seems").
Examples
- Attributive use:
- Be careful talking to him; he's a screw-loose conspiracy theorist.
- The town is known for its friendly, if slightly screw-loose, inhabitants.
- Predicative use:
- She must be screw-loose to go hiking in that storm.
- His new plan sounds completely screw-loose to me.
Advanced Usage
- The phrase often appears in the idiom "to have a screw loose", which functions as a verb phrase meaning to be eccentric or crazy.
- I think that guy has a screw loose; he was yelling at a parking meter.
Variants and Related Words
- Screwball (noun/adjective): An eccentric or crazy person; irrational or zany. ()
- Unhinged (adjective): Mentally unstable; disturbed. (More intense than "screw-loose").
- Eccentric (adjective/noun): Unconventional and slightly strange. (Often has a more neutral or positive connotation than "screw-loose").
Synonyms
- Crazy
- Mad
- Unbalanced
- Deranged
- Demented
- Out of one's mind
Related Idioms
- To have a screw loose: To be mentally unstable or eccentric. (This is the most common idiomatic usage).
- Anyone who would do that has a screw loose.
- A few sandwiches short of a picnic: Humorous idiom suggesting someone is not very intelligent or is crazy.
- Not playing with a full deck: Idiom meaning someone is stupid or insane.
Adjective
-
not behaving normally
